Optics and Spectroscopy
Complex cross sections of spin exchange in collisions of sodium and potassium atoms in the ground state
Victor A. Kartoshkin
Abstract
Complex cross sections of the spin exchange are calculated for the first time for interacting Na and K atoms based on the data on the singlet (X 1Σ+) and triplet (a 3Σ+) potentials that describe the interaction of these alkali-metal atoms in the ground state. The obtained cross sections allow one to theoretically consider the polarization transfer processes and calculate the relaxation times and the magnetic resonance frequency shifts caused by Na-K spin-exchange collisions.